Welcome to my blog!

I'm so excited that my lifelong dream of becoming a published author has come true. If you'd like to go straight to excerpts, descriptions, and buy links for my books, click on the covers below on the right.

I love to hear from my readers! If you have a comment for me or if you'd like to submit a character for published character interview or unpublished character analysis, please use the form below or email me at cecilia (at) ceciliadominic (dot) com.

If you're not getting enough randomness from me here, please feel free to follow me on Twitter and/or like my Facebook page. I've also taken the Pinterest plunge. You can also sign up for my monthly newsletter for news on books, sleep tips, and wine notes.

Monday, January 6, 2014

Guest posts: An Interview and Novel Resolutions

Happy new year, fellow authors and readers!

December ended up being sort of a bust for me with regard to writing thanks to a nasty cold that knocked me on my rear end for a week, but I did reach 23K on the third Lycanthropy Files book, and I wrote and submitted a short story to an anthology. I guess that's not so bad.

Mid-December, author Nancy Lee Badger interviewed me on her blog. She asked some fun questions including three things people don't know about me (the answers may surprise you), when I started writing toward publication, and what's been rewarding about it. You can read the full interview here.

Today I'm pleased to be guest posting on RWA's Futuristic, Fantasy, and Paranormal chapter blog on a novel way to approach writing resolutions. I talk about how we can apply Mindfulness principles to our process to minimize stress and keep us motivated.

So one of your New Year’s resolutions is to write a novel?

Congratulations! I wholeheartedly support choosing to do something that brings you joy and won’t require you to give up favorite foods or otherwise deprive yourself of something you love. Let’s talk about how you canmindfully support yourself as you embark on this journey of discovery into your own mind and life.

According to the definition of Mindfulness on Psychology Today (link: http://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/mindfulness), “Mindfulness is a state of active, open attention on the present. When you’re mindful, you observe your thoughts and feelings from a distance, without judging them good or bad. Instead of letting your life pass you by, mindfulness means living in the moment and awakening to experience.”

I teach this principle to my patients, and research has demonstrated its effectiveness with insomnia, anxiety, depression, and other psychological disorders. Since it’s generally accepted that we writers are a little nuts, this is a good thing. Okay, I’m kidding (mostly).

Here are some Mindfulness skills that I’ve tried to apply to my own writing life:

To read the rest, click here. Even if you're not a writer, you may find some tips that are helpful for you.